breaking overnight. the death toll rising as floods sweep across the south. weekend storms killing multiple people across kentucky and georgia, while a levee break in tennessee forced hundreds to evacuate for higher ground. our team is tracking where those devastating storms are heading next. high-stakes negotiations set

to begin to end the war in ukraine. marco rubio arriving in the middle east overnight ahead of the talks. we're live with what to watch for this week. terror in a highway tunnel. drivers racing to escape flames after a deadly pileup in wyoming. what is slowing down the cleanup efforts this morning? nba all-star championship ends with a bang. but no lebron. why king james sat out the game for the first time in 20 years. and, live from new york, it's sunday night. snl celebrating 50 years with a star-studded super sized special. we have the best moments, we ae kick off this monday. february 17. from the south to the northeast americans are feeling the wrath of a storm system.

at least ten people have died with nine deaths in kentucky where severe flooding wreaked havoc. the rising floodwaters leading to more than a thousand rescues. the south grappling with gusty winds and tornados. at least five reported across mississippi and alabama. and hundreds of thousands still in the dark this morning as power outages stretch as far north as new york. shaquille brewster begins our coverage. >> reporter: historic and deadly flash floods slamming the south. >> we have lots of roads that are closed due to flooding. >> reporter: at least eight dead in kentucky. fears that number could go up. more than a thousand rescues, crews racing to save people in rising waters. entire neighborhoods wiped out and under water. the governor declaring a disaster emergency. >> this is one of the most serious weather events we've dealt with in at least a decade. >> stay off the roads. if you hit water, turn around.

it's not worth dying. >> reporter: power out to hundreds of thousands across the region. the devastation hitting tennessee. a catastrophic situation unfolding in the northwest part of the state after floodwaters overwhelmed the levee, pouring into this community. rescue crews rushing resources to the area. >> water's coming out pretty quick and getting pretty high. >> reporter: neighborhoods from tennessee to virginia under water. some places getting nearly 8 inches of rain. and it wasn't just the floods. four confirmed tornados across the south, too. >> a tree fell on a house. >> reporter: and our george solis is in florence, mississippi. >> you can see where the tree snapped here right before it fell onto the roof of the home. and fortunately, the homeowners were unharmed. >> reporter: a different story in atlanta where wind gusts got up to 70 miles per hour. in alabama, a massive

cleanup is under way after gusts tore through buildings and power lines. >> we lost one of our middle schools. >> reporter: back in kentucky, officials bracing for the next threat. >> we're going to get hit with more snow again while we're still dealing with this flood situation. it's going to be significant. >> our thanks to shaq for that report. now to thehe trump administration preparing peace talks between kiev and moscow. secretary of state marco rubio is in saudi arabia to try to initiate negotiations to take place in the kingdom. but ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy says he hasn't exactly been invited to the table yet. for the latest on this, let's go to molly hunter. there were a lot of developments on this front over the weekend. >> reporter: jessica, good morning. a lot of developments. so, according to two sources familiar with these negotiations, as you mentioned,

u.s. secreretary of ate marco rubio and white house national security advisor mike waltz as well as steve witkoff are heading to saudi arabia right now with meetings, for meetings with russia. now waltz laid out four key priorities, including a permanent end to the war, diplomatic end to the war, economic integration as well as changes to u.s. aid for ukraine. that's key for the trump administration. what's not clear, jessica, is when ukraine and european allies will be invited to join the table. our kristen welker asked ukrainian president zelenskyy about these upcoming russian negotiations. take a listen. >> can you accept any peace deal that is cut without ukraine? >> no. >> do you feel like you have a seat at the table right now? >> i not only count on it, i'm sure that we have to be there. >> jessica, yesterday on cbs, the secretary of state marco rubio seemed to soften the

administration's language saying ukraine and europe will be involved. two officials tell nbc news that ukraine was not invited to these talks but said the intention is for the u.s. to host a bilateral meeting with russia, then a bilateral meeting with ukraine and then talk all together. but jessica, the u.s. is setting the pace and the tone. and there are questions about what may have to be given up. and the conversation between president trump and president putin last week. let's turn now to capitol hill, where there are concerns this morning about cuts at the irs. nbc news has learned that an employee affiliated with elon musk's department of government efficiency or doge, is expected to ask for access to an irs system that holds sensitive taxpayer information. nbc's alice barr is in d.c. what more do we know about this request? >> reporter: good morning, jessica. an administration official tells

nbc news this is an irs employee who is helping with the mission of elon musk's doge team to cut fraud and waste. they say this employee has the appropriate clearances but have not yet accessed the system. it comes as concerns are growing that cuts at the irs could impact tax season. but the new treasury secretary says certain irs employees cannot take the government's buyout offer until may. we are seeing a spike in unemployment claims in washington d.c. since president trump took office. nearly 7,000 jobless claims were filed in the first six weeks of this year. that's about 55% more than the previous six weeks. two sources at the cdc tell nbc news that hundreds of employees at that agency were terminated, and about two dozen of those workers helped with outbreak response efforts. nbc news has obtained a termination letter sent to dozens of probationary letters at the transportation department, saying they were

fired for poor performance, despite most being rated exceptional by their supervisors. president trump spent sunday at the daytona 500, even doing a lap in his armored car. the president told nascar fans the country is on track. >> our country is doing well again. and we have spirit all over the world. there's spirit again. we've brought it back, and it's been less than four weeks. so you'll see what we do in a little period of time. it's going to only get better. >> reporter: this new trump administration is about to make its first appeal to the u.s. supreme court. the justice department plans to ask the court to keep a fired government watchdog off the job during an ongoing legal battle. a lower court reinstated the head of the whistle-blower agency after he sued the trump administration. jessica? >> a lot of coverage there this morning. alice, thank you. meanwhile, a second federal judge has put a pause on president trump's order against

gender-affirming care. the president signed an executive order halting federal support for such care for anyone under the age of 19. a district judge in washington calling that order unconstitutional in multiple ways. now this temporary restraining order is likely just the first step in a long legal fight. and that executive order happening in the shadow of the brutal death of a transgender man in western new york state in what police say is a possible hate crime. five people have been arrested over the disappearance and the death of 24-year-old sam nordqvist. his body was found last week after his family in minnesota reported him missing. police say nordqvist was tortured. the captain in charge called it one of the most horrific crimes she has ever investigated in 20 years. in wyoming, a cross-country interstate is shut down after a deadly crash inside a tunnel

there. as dana griffin reports, it could be days before the road reopens. >> this is [ bleep ] bad all the [ bleep ] is on fire. >> reporter: these were the harrowing moments after a massive wreck set off a fiery inferno in wyoming. >> oh, [ bleep ]. >> reporter: videos posted on tiktok show this truck driver scrambling to get out alive. >> i almost died in there, man. >> reporter: investigators confirmed a third fatality as they slowly make their way through the obstructed tunnel, searching for victims while preserving evidence. do you think speed or weather paid a role in this crash? >> likely speed, but it will be determined once we gather the evidence. >> reporter: jennifer knox takes this video as thick smoke billowed from the westbound tunnel. have you ever seen anything like this before? >> no, no. certainly not here. >> reporter: the pileup happened friday morning, involving 26

vehicles. two people were also injured. wyoming highway patrol saying the fire was so intense tires flowed and the tunnel started to crumble. the integrity of the mountain tunnel, they say, is secure. >> there's no issues with the integrity of the rock. we're not expecting the mountain to collapse, the tunnel to collapse. >> reporter: it could take days before the officials open the tunnel. dana griffin, nbc news. well, those devastating storms that swept the south are moving out this morning. nbc meteorologist tevin wooten is tracking the system for us. >> good morning to you. as that storm is moving out, strong winds are moving in through the appalachians and northeast. we have high wind watches and warnings for some 67 million americans. those gusts are very strong with a biting cold wind, too. likely 50 to 60 miles per hour

through portions of upstate new york. that's also by the way creating lake-effect snow through the finger lakes in and around lake erie. snowfall amounts could be around 5 to 6 inches in pockets. the week ahead is a bitter cold one with a frigid february on tap today. 10 degrees across portions of iowa, through the mid missouri river valley. record lows intoto tuesd and wednesday and another storm possible, and this moves across the mid atlantic coast sometime thursday and into friday. the bitter cold blast of air is re allhey morning. weather in three, two, one. good morning. the top weather concern of the morning. patchy areas of dense fog and a little bit of drizzle possible early in the day. dry start overall to the week before rain chances return aroundcross the twin states of mississippi and alabama today, highs are only in the mid-50s. and that's a look at your latest forecast, jessica. >> all right, tevin, thank you. the felony assault trial of

a$ap rocky is now in the hands of the jury. the rapper is accused of firing two shots at a former friend in 2021. his lawyers argue he only fired blanks from a prop gun, and it was rocky's accuser who was the aggressor in the altercation. if convicted, he faces up to 24 years in prison. deliberations start tomorrow after the long holiday weekend. "early today" is back in a minute with a thrilling end to the daytona 500, and why lebron james sat out the all-star game for the first time last night in two decades. ♪♪ okay, y'all. i heard mielle's kalahari melon and aloe vera line is changing the game. up to five days of moisture and no wash days in between? let's see about that. day two, headed to work, but i feel like i'm about to drop a hit single. all the cuties are at the run club. good thing these curls are curling. can you believe this is day five? i think i could go even longer. up to five days of lasting moisture. endless possibilities.

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heavy rain did red flag the race twice, leading to more than four hours of delay. the nba's all-star weekend wrapped up late last night featuring four squads facing off in a tournament-style format at chase center in san francisco. shaq's ogs took the big win with golden sta warriors star steph curry earning mvp honors at his home arena. lebron james didn't end up playing because of foot and ankle issues. and that broke his streak of 20 consecutive all-star appearances. it may not be the vatican, but one award got elected to a high honor of its own. >> the bafta gs to conclave. conclave won best film at the british academy film awards. the drama took home three other awards. "the brutalist" also scored four

awards, including best actor for adrian brodie. still to come. sunday night live doesn't have quite the same ring, does it? oh, well, studio 8h gets all dressed up on its day off as 50 years of cast and hosts come together to celebrate the huge anniversary. ts in darkness. and then suddenly, out of the darkness, ♪ thunder ♪ energy. ♪ thunder ♪ (barista) milk man! (vo) beans ground. milk frothed. shots poured. espresso shan & shaken & shaken & shaken & shaken. 10 times. no more. no less. this is the story of coffee. and company. the starbucks you love is ready. hello again. aah, it's a good day to cough. oh, no! bye, bye cough. later chest congestion. hello 12 hours of relief. 12 hours?! hmmm, ok. not coughing at yoga.

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over the course of 50 years, 894 people have hosted "saturday night live." and it amazes me that only two of them have committed murder. ♪ middle of new york ♪ ♪ and she screams to the sky ♪ ♪ what she's looking for is this hung latin guy ♪ >> lorne, never retire. it's brutal out here. >> he's one of the all-time greats. mr. collin quinn. >> sorry, colin jost. 50 years of guest sketches and breaking character all led to

this. last night's snl 50, the anniversary show lived up to the hype. the epic tribute brought together a half a century's worth of legendary performers, paying tribute to the iconic series. there is so much expectation around a show like this. >> yeah. >> and the way that they pulled it off and did it so well. >> flawless. >> i just, i mean, what talent. you know? >> only in the way that snl could, right? >> only snl could do it. >> 50 years after hosting the second ever episode, paul simon kicked off the show with sabrina carpenter. lil wayne took to the stage throughout the night. but the musical highlight came from former cast member adam sandler. ♪ 45 years of lorne ♪ ♪ 6 years of our boy farley ♪

♪ 5 of our buddy norm ♪ >> got a good voice there. >> he does. >> sir paul mccartney capped off the night with a show-stopping rendition from "abbey road." >> i do not forget that paul mccartney can sing. coming up, youtube tv users can breathe a sigh of relief and tune in to their fore avit channels. and how bourbon, the pope and a priest teamed up for a good cause. with heart disease, you never know. so we made changes. green juice. diet, exercise... ...statins helped. but our ldl-c (bad cholesterol) - it was stuck! - stuck! just couldn't lower it enough. and high ldl-c meant a real risk of another attack. so i said, “let's ask our doctor about repatha.” what can i say? listen to your heart. repatha plus a statin dramatically lowers ldl-c by 63%, and drops the risk of having a heart attack by 27%.

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you can't predict sick days, [child sneeze] but with kleenex, you can be prepared for them. ♪♪ for whatever happens next, grab kleenex. well, from a fond farewell for a beloved delivery driver to the warm welcome back for an elementary school student who's battling cancer. jose diaz balart has some great news to kick off your week. >> reporter: talk about a special delivery.

[cheers and applause] this new jersey neighborhood united to celebrate u.p.s. driver anthony romano's retirement after almost 40 years on the road. for anthony, this was more than just a job. these customers, well, he considers them family. >> when i walked off, all the memories that i had throughout the years were there. it made my job for 38 years special. >> love you! [cheers and applause] >> reporter: there was so much love in laredo, texas. look at this warm welcome back for fifth grader kiara, a real fire who's back at school after winning her two-year battle with cancer. the hallways lined with students, staff and heartfelt messages of hope. >> my friends have been taking care of me. i never had anything like this

experience. >> just do it. reporter: near cincinnati, unbelievable strength and profound bravery. that's mom, alley campbell, surrounded by family, shaving her head as she goes through treatments for breast cancer. but soon after, she found out she wasn't fighting alone. the goshen township police department saw on social media what alley was going through. the officer put out the all call, and they decided to shave their heads, too. why did you guys do that? >> i saw alley's video of her shaving her head. you could see the emotion in her face, and, in that moment, i felt we need to do something to show her that we see her, and wee here to support her. she's not in this by herself. >> reporter: alley, how do you react? >> i'm blessed. i just cried. for the cops, the officers to all get together and do this, it

was just the most amazing thing. >> reporter: officer, what's the bigger message? >> the bigger message is to stand behind the people who need the help in the community. we can stand behind someone who needs our support at that point in time. we stand behind them. we're in this together. >> best part of monday. our thanks to jose for sharing those stories this morning. and we thank you for watching "early today." i'm jessica layton. have a great monday. i'll see you tomorrow.

breaking overnight. the death toll rising after devastating floodwaters swept across the south. emergency crews rescuing hundreds from the rising water across kentucky, georgia, and tennessee. our team is tracking this system. the irs bracing for doge. an employee af